2011 strike has direct influence on teacher-students relationships

| Monday March 25, 2013 00:00

More so if those who do so amongst workers are teachers and those on their side are their students. I do not insinuate here that a lot of teachers have fallen into that trap but the mere fact that the number of teachers who have been alleged to be involved with students is at its highest so far.

A good number of teachers have maintained their cool and continued to behave in a manner that befits their integrity. The Maun senior saga and stories that continue to be published are a clear example of a problem that needs to be attended to.

Just on my way to work today I could not believe my ears when some parents went into details on how a certain teacher has abused their Form two daughter with some in the family feeling the teacher should be forgiven for such an act. I need to explain why I arrived at that conclusion. A teacher status is usually held in high regard by the society especially his or her learners and their parents. To give an example, a teacher found urinating in the public can be a subject of debate at home or even in school.

This is not the case with other professions. A student who walks in the classroom and tells others that he passed a certain Social worker doing so, can easily be dismissed by other learners. But one who says the same about a teacher will immediately attract questions. What, why, who, how will be asked about the incident. To put it straight the society has some level of behaviour that they have set for teachers.

In order to demonstrate therefore how that society expectation has been eroded, one needs to have been close to the strike. For the first few weeks, students could not comprehend why their teachers resolved to leave them in class and go outside the schools to sing. When they knocked off and passed by, those gathering teachers comprised part of the group that sang all those songs. I am saying all those songs as a reminder because we all heard most of them and the tone they set.

For some students, it was the first time they saw their teachers in that 'compromising mood'.  After some time students started realising that their teachers are just like any other person. It happened for about two months and some students joined the chorus. The very reason why no one should allow a strike to take more than two weeks is exactly to avoid such scenarios. By the time those students were singing in solidarity, the professional line between  teachers and students was compromised.

Some students identified their teachers as comrades and vice versa. At some point students sang alongside their teachers arm in arm as comrades and friends. Because as a country we have no history of the struggle to understand what a comrade is and as it happened during the strike some became comrades in one form or the other. This is exactly the point I wish to make.

I witnessed a few scenarios across the country were students continued to interact with teachers in those compromising situations beyond sunset. We all know that there is a lot of harm that happens at night more so that at that time those holding each other's arms were doing so as comrades able to comfort each other in those trying times.

By the time these teachers returned to the classroom, the very mechanisms put in place to ensure that the strike does not get into the classrooms also acted as a catalyst. Professionalism could no longer protect the teacher. As defense some teachers had to tone down on disciplining students but chose to befriend them in order to avoid any report or possible reprimand that may result in their action being associated with their strike action.

I have therefore come to the reasonable conclusion which is that, when teachers are allowed to associate with students as comrades in arms as happened during the 2011 Industrial action, the professional line between teacher and student becomes blurred.

I am afraid the number of teachers who have since fallen in love with students is at its highest thanks to the 2011 Strike. This is the only reason I can put forward when asked to support making teaching an essential service.

Raymond Malinga